Influence of pH adjustment on physicochemical properties of microfiltration retentates of skim milk and rehydration properties of resulting powders

Effects of pH adjustment on physicochemical properties of microfiltration retentates of skim milk and rehydration of resulting micellar casein concentrate (MCC) powders were investigated. Aliquots of retentate (pH 6.9) were adjusted to pH 7.3, 7.6 or 7.6 followed by readjustment to pH 6.9 (6.9R) prior to powder preparation. The retentates with pH 6.9, 7.3, and 7.6 had casein micelle size of 179, 189 and 197 nm, respectively, while sample 6.9R had size of 183 nm, similar to retentate at pH 6.9. Higher retentate pH resulted in lower ionic calcium and higher conductivity, with sample 6.9R having higher values for both parameters than the pH 6.9 sample. The MCC powders displayed poorer wettability and enhanced dispersibility with increasing retentate pH. Interestingly, the 6.9R powder had the best wettability and dispersibility. This study demonstrated that pH-mediated modifications of the physicochemical properties of retentates improve the rehydration properties of resultant MCC powders

Recombination processes in MBE grown Al0.85Ga0.15As0.56Sb0.44

Quaternary AlGaAsSb alloys have exhibited low excess noise characteristics as gain regions in avalanche photodiodes. In this work, optical spectroscopy techniques are used to demonstrate the recombination dynamics in molecular beam epitaxy grown Al0.85Ga0.15As0.56Sb0.44 with temperature variation. Photoluminescence (PL) measurements at 8–50 K show that the bandgap varies from 1.547 to 1.527 eV. The radiative recombination processes in the alloy were found to be dictated by the complexities of antimony (Sb) incorporation during the growth. Time-resolved PL (TRPL) measurements show a change in initial carrier lifetimes of ∼3.5 µs at 8 K to ∼1 µs at 30 K. The knowledge of carrier dynamics from optical characterization methods such as PL and TRPL can be employed to contribute to shorter feedback loops for improvement of alloy fabrication in addition to enhancing growth processes

Micro-Raman and micro-transmission imaging of epitaxial graphene grown on the Si and C faces of 6H-SiC

Micro-Raman and micro-transmission imaging experiments have been done on epitaxial graphene grown on the C- and Si-faces of on-axis 6H-SiC substrates. On the C-face it is shown that the SiC sublimation process results in the growth of long and isolated graphene ribbons (up to 600 μm) that are strain-relaxed and lightly p-type doped. In this case, combining the results of micro-Raman spectroscopy with micro-transmission measurements, we were able to ascertain that uniform monolayer ribbons were grown and found also Bernal stacked and misoriented bilayer ribbons. On the Si-face, the situation is completely different. A full graphene coverage of the SiC surface is achieved but anisotropic growth still occurs, because of the step-bunched SiC surface reconstruction. While in the middle of reconstructed terraces thin graphene stacks (up to 5 layers) are grown, thicker graphene stripes appear at step edges. In both the cases, the strong interaction between the graphene layers and the underlying SiC substrate induces a high compressive thermal strain and n-type doping

Complex X chromosome rearrangement associated with multiorgan autoimmunity

BACKGROUND: Turner syndrome, a congenital condition that affects 1/2,500 births, results from absence or structural alteration of the second sex chromosome. Turner syndrome is usually associated with short stature, gonadal dysgenesis and variable dysmorphic features. The classical 45,X karyotype accounts approximately for half of all patients, the remainder exhibit mosaicism or structural abnormalities of the X chromosome. However, complex intra-X chromosomal rearrangements involving more than three breakpoints are extremely rare. RESULTS: We present a unique case of a novel complex X chromosome rearrangement in a young female patient presenting successively a wide range of autoimmune diseases including insulin dependent diabetes mellitus, Hashimoto's thyroiditis, celiac disease, anaemia perniciosa, possible inner ear disease and severe hair loss. For the genetic evaluation, conventional cytogenetic analysis and FISH with different X specific probes were initially performed. The complexity of these results and the variety of autoimmune problems of the patient prompted us to identify the exact composition and breakpoints of the rearranged X as well as methylation status of the X chromosomes. The high resolution array-CGH (assembly GRCh37/hg19) detected single copy for the whole chromosome X short arm. Two different sized segments of Xq arm were present in three copies: one large size of 80,3 Mb from Xq11.1 to Xq27.3 region and another smaller (11,1 Mb) from Xq27.3 to Xq28 region. An 1,6 Mb Xq27.3 region of the long arm was present in two copies. Southern blot analysis identified a skewed X inactivation with approximately 70:30 % ratios of methylated/unmethylated fragments. The G-band and FISH patterns of the rearranged X suggested the aspect of a restructured i(Xq) chromosome which was shattered and fortuitously repaired. The X-STR genotype analysis of the family detected that the patient inherited intact maternal X chromosome and a rearranged paternal X chromosome. The multiple Xq breakages and fusions as well as inverted duplication would have been expected to cause a severe Turner phenotype. However, the patient lacks many of the classic somatic features of Turner syndrome, instead she presented multiorgan autoimmune diseases. CONCLUSIONS: The clinical data of the presented patient suggest that fragmentation of the i(Xq) chromosome elevates the risk of autoimmune diseases

Transplantation of Specific Human Astrocytes Promotes Functional Recovery after Spinal Cord Injury

Repairing trauma to the central nervous system by replacement of glial support cells is an increasingly attractive therapeutic strategy. We have focused on the less-studied replacement of astrocytes, the major support cell in the central nervous system, by generating astrocytes from embryonic human glial precursor cells using two different astrocyte differentiation inducing factors. The resulting astrocytes differed in expression of multiple proteins thought to either promote or inhibit central nervous system homeostasis and regeneration. When transplanted into acute transection injuries of the adult rat spinal cord, astrocytes generated by exposing human glial precursor cells to bone morphogenetic protein promoted significant recovery of volitional foot placement, axonal growth and notably robust increases in neuronal survival in multiple spinal cord laminae. In marked contrast, human glial precursor cells and astrocytes generated from these cells by exposure to ciliary neurotrophic factor both failed to promote significant behavioral recovery or similarly robust neuronal survival and support of axon growth at sites of injury. Our studies thus demonstrate functional differences between human astrocyte populations and suggest that pre-differentiation of precursor cells into a specific astrocyte subtype is required to optimize astrocyte replacement therapies. To our knowledge, this study is the first to show functional differences in ability to promote repair of the injured adult central nervous system between two distinct subtypes of human astrocytes derived from a common fetal glial precursor population. These findings are consistent with our previous studies of transplanting specific subtypes of rodent glial precursor derived astrocytes into sites of spinal cord injury, and indicate a remarkable conservation from rat to human of functional differences between astrocyte subtypes. In addition, our studies provide a specific population of human astrocytes that appears to be particularly suitable for further development towards clinical application in treating the traumatically injured or diseased human central nervous system

Effect of Epitaxial Layer Thickness on Built-in Electric Field in Region of AlGaAs/SI-GaAs Interface: A Photoreflectance Study

We present a study of detailed line shapes of photoreflectance spectra for Al$\text{}_{0.3}$Ga$\text{}_{0.7}$ As/SI-GaAs epitaxial layers grown by MBE. All measurements were performed at 80 K under UHV conditions with a special care for the samples surface quality. A set of the photoreflectance spectra was collected for photon energies close to the GaAs and Al$\text{}_{0.3}$Ga$\text{}_{0.7}$As band gaps (E$\text{}_{0}$). The photoreflectance spectra originated in the vicinity of the Al$\text{}_{0.3}$Ga$\text{}_{0.7}$As/SI-GaAs interface were analyzed using the complex Airy function model of Franz-Keldysh oscillations. To examine the effect of the epitaxial layer thickness on parameters characterizing the interface, a step-by-step chemical etching was applied for stripping the top layers. The built-in electric field intensity, field inhomogeneity and phenomenological broadening parameter for interface regions were determined as a function of the epilayer thickness

Photoreflectance Studies of InGaAs/GaAs/AlGaAs Single Quantum Well Laser Structures

We report on photoreflectance investigations of strained-layer In$\text{}_{0.2}$Ga$\text{}_{0.8}$As/GaAs/Al$\text{}_{0.3}$Ga$\text{}_{0.7}$As single quantum well laser structures grown by molecular beam epitaxy. All the observed photoreflectance spectral features were assigned to the e-hh transitions with Δn=0. The transition energies were determined and compared to their values calculated within the envelope function approximation. Assuming that one third of the total strain in the central In$\text{}_{0.2}$Ga$\text{}_{0.8}$As layer is relaxed by biaxial deformation of surrounding thin GaAs layers, it is possible to explain reasonably the results of our photoreflectance experiment

Oval defects in crystals grown by MBE technique: study and methods of elimination abstract

The paper is devoted to a group of macroscopic defects which may be found in epitaxial A3 B5 materials grown by MBE technique. Morphology, geometry and optical properties of defects were studied by means of several experimental methods. The experimental data have been compared with the information taken from literature concerning sources of the defects and causes of their appearance

Resonant Cavity Enhanced Photonic Devices

In the present paper we review our recent works on technology, basic physics, and applications of one-dimensional photonic structures. We demonstrate spontaneous emission control in In$\text{}_{x}$Ga$\text{}_{1-x}$As/GaAs planar microcavities with distributed Bragg reflectors. In general, observed trends are in agreement with theoretical predictions. We also demonstrate the operation of resonant-cavity light emitting diodes and optically pumped vertical cavity light emitting diodes developed recently at the Department of Physics and Technology of Low-Dimensional Structures of the Institute of Electron Technology